Caroline is the Principal Legal Adviser and member of the senior leadership team at national charity Family Rights Group.
She takes a leading role in the charity’s work in influencing child welfare law, policy and the family justice system and supports the charity to achieve its strategic goals.
Called to the bar in 2003, Caroline’s practice experience spans the independent bar, local government and the voluntary sector.
Prior to working at Family Rights Group Caroline practised at the independent bar and then as an in-house advocate in a busy London local authority legal team. She has represented parents, extended family members, children, adopters and local authorities in a range of complex children public law matters.
At Family Rights Group Caroline heads up a legal team of children public law specialists undertaking work which underpins all of the charity’s advice, policy and influencing activity. Caroline’s legal work, and that of her team, supports innovation and system change in the child welfare and family justice systems; furthers public legal education and influences government and legal reforms. Examples include:
- The team provides legal updates, analysis and support to the Kinship Care Alliance and the APPG on Kinship Care and facilitated the APPG on Kinship Care’s inquiry into advice and legal aid provision for kinship carers
- Caroline conceived and lead the successful Time to Define legal proposal and campaign for a clear, inclusive definition of kinship care to be developed and enshrined in law. She spearheaded the charity’s legal analysis and reform work regarding financial support for kinship carers with particular focus on the legal and practice framework relevant to special guardianship allowances.
- Caroline was part of the team facilitating the landmark 2018 Care Crisis Review and has sat on the President of the Division’s Public Law Working Group (PLWG) since its inception. Caroline was the lead author of the Working Group’s 2023 Best Practice Guidance on Supervision Orders to support children remaining at, or returning home.
In August 2024, the Family Rights Group legal team were shortlisted as finalists for the Children’s Law Team of the Year Award at the Lexis Nexis Family Law Awards 2024.
Caroline regularly presents at events for networks and organisations including the Association of Lawyers for Children, Family Rights Group councillor’s network, the Child Law Network and Community Care.
Selected publications
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‘Young parents’ in practitioner text The Child Protection Handbook. Elsevier. 1 May 2024
- Its #TimeToDefine kinship care – here’s why and how we might start. Family Rights Group. 1 August 2023
- Cooperation or coercion? Children coming into the care system under s 20 voluntary arrangements 48(2) p191-196. Family Law. February 2018
- Cooperation or Coercion: Children coming into the care system under voluntary arrangements. A Knowledge Inquiry. Family Rights Group. 1 July 2017
- Young Parents involvement in the child welfare system. Family Rights Group 1 June 2016